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Jump Cuts
Kids programming confab
Meatballs still a hit
Teenagers are holding their own film festivals this month as REEL Canada makes a six-stop tour of Toronto-area high schools. The traveling fest gives students a chance to program their own mini festivals, making picks from a catalogue of some 24 Canadian-mades including Les Boys, The Dead Zone and Project Grizzly. The most popular choices so far? Meatballs with Bill Murray and New Waterford Girl by director Allan Moyle. ‘Bill Murray still has it,’ says cofounder Jack Blum, who, as it happens, also starred in the 1979 picture as the young camper Spaz. Organizers hope the new effort will promote interest in Canadian movies, and are looking to go national eventually.
Letters
Producers ‘missing the point’ on SAP
Retraction
The story ‘Lawsuit won’t block Water’ in the Sept. 12 issue of Playback reported on Deepa Mehta’s lawsuit against several parties whom she alleges made public accusations of plagiarism against the filmmaker. Unfortunately, the Playback story also incorrectly stated that the defendants countersued against Mehta.
Correction
Regarding the Oct. 10 story ‘DGC gives nods to Ciccoritti, Finkleman, McGowan,’ Tom Bjelic and Allan Fung won the DGC Award for sound editing on a TV series for The Newsroom, while Kevin Banks, Alison Clark and Geoffrey Raffan won for sound editing on an MOW or miniseries for Plain Truth. Incorrect information appeared in the article.
Readership poll
New broadcaster, same deal. In response to an online Playback poll question asking ‘What do you think of Global picking up the Gemini Awards?’, 51% of respondents voted that it won’t make any difference. 27% felt the show would be more successful, while 22% believe the network is wrong for the Geminis.
Broadcasters’ lukewarm support of the Geminis
Anticipating its 20 anniversary, the Gemini Awards are heading in a new direction, with Global Television producing the gala broadcast. But there is a back-story here that shows tepid support of the event from the English-Canadian networks.
Huard, Feore: Bon to be Bad
Montreal: With Bon Cop/Bad Cop, Montreal producer Kevin Tierney (Varian’s War) is hoping to unite Canada’s two linguistic solitudes at the box office. Touted as the first time a Canadian film will be ‘completely bilingual,’ the murder-mystery and cop-buddy flick will attempt to ride the current wave of success in Quebec’s film industry across language lines.
Features
Feature backed by Elton John
Docs
Burns making ‘Perfect’ doc
Da Vinci’s City Hall set for Oct. 25 debut on CBC
Burnaby, BC: Canada’s favorite fictional coroner returns to CBC this month with a new career and a new series.
Trading forensics for politics, Dominic Da Vinci moves into the mayor’s seat in Da Vinci’s City Hall. The sequel to the network’s long-running Da Vinci’s Inquest borrows heavily from reality, mirroring Vancouver coroner-turned-mayor Larry Campbell’s real-life career switch.
Broadcast
CTV in the Black
Service
Final days of Final Days
Briefly
* Season three of Moccasin Flats, a coproduction between Big Soul Productions, RedCloud Studios and Stephen Onda Productions, wrapped shooting on eight new half-hours in Regina on Oct. 14. The new season will debut on APTN in January, with a second run on Showcase in July.
Autodesk acquires rival software maker Alias
In a move that some industry insiders say would be akin to Microsoft taking over Apple, U.S. software giant Autodesk is acquiring Alias, creator of Maya, the Oscar-winning 3D FX and animation application that has been used in nearly every feature film nominated for best special effects Academy Awards since its release in 1998.
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